Center-plate for railway-cars.



No. 729.967. I PATENTED JUNE 2, 1903.

- IL. A. SHEPARD.

CENTER PLATE FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION IILBD'OO'I'. 10, 1902.

NO MODEL.

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1, as shown, may be a concentric dish-shaped UNITED STATES LOUIS A. SHEPARD, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO CORNELIUS Patented June 2,1903.

PATENT OF ICE.

VANDERBILT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CENTER-PLATE FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 729,967, dated June 2, 1903.

Application filed October 10,1902.

Be it known that I, LoUIs A. SHEPARD, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Brooklyn, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Center-Plates for Railway- Oars, of which the following is a full and true description, reference being had to. the accom panying drawings, showing an embodiment of my improvements.

One objectof my invention is to provide a new and simple form of center-plate for the bolsters of car-bodies. A second object is to combine such center-plate with the center sills of the car, so as to have a structure of great strength.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top View of the improved centerplate devised by me, and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of such center-plate. Fig. 3 is a detail view showing the center sills of a car and one form of body-bolster with which my center-plate may be used; and Fig. 4 is ahalfsection between the bolster-beams of Fig. 3 and showing the connections between the cen-. tor-plate and center sills, the bolster-beams, spacing side bearing, and the side sill of the car.

The drawings show certain features of bod ybolster construction which are shown, described, and claimed in an application, Serial No. 103,533, filed by Cornelius Vanderbilt, April 18, 1902. Such features form no part of my invention, which is defined by the appended claims.

The center-plate which I have devised is preferably made of one piece of metal, and a casting will usually be employed for this purpose. As shown,the center-plate is box-shaped and comprises a base 1, a centrally-located bolt-opening 3, an annular wall 2, risingto said opening, end walls 4, side walls 5, side flanges 6, and strengthening-ribs-7 and 8. The base part, and the strengthening-ribs 7 and 8 may extend, as shown in Fig. 2, from the upper edges of the walls 4 and5 to the upper edges of the annular wall 2and downwardly to the bottom of the dish-shaped part constituting the base 1. The side walls 5 5 are provided with a plurality of vertical strengthening- Serial No. 126,728. (No model.)

ribs 11 and with openings 10 for the passage of bolts r rivets. 7 l

The center-plate is secured, as hereinafter described, to center sills or other parts of the frame or body of the car. Outwardly-extending bosses on the exterior of the side walls surround theopenings and strengthen such side walls.

It will be obvious that the center-plate described may be secured in various ways to the car-body or car-frame. I prefer, however, that it shall be secured between the center sills, which latter for economy and strength may be parallel channel-beams running from end to end of the frame.

Referring now to Figs. 3 and 4, showing details of the construction at the junction of the center sills, body-bolsters, and centerplate, 12 12 indicate the center sills, each of which may be a channel beam running throughout the length of the car. 13 13 indicate the side walls of the car, and 19 the uprights which support the hopper or other car-body.

The center-plate, as shown in Fig. 4, is socured between the center sills by means of rivets. These pass through openings 10 of the 'side walls 5 of the center-plate. The bottom flanges of the beams 12 rest upon the side flanges 6 of the center-plate. The top flanges of the center sills 12 support cross-- and connected at their inner ends by large angle-irons 16 to the center sills 12. About midway between the angles 21 and the angles 16 the plates 14 are braced and spaced apart by an inserted device. For this purpose a casting may be employed, whichconstitutes a side bearing having a downwardlyextendingbearing part and upwardly-extending side and cross ribs, the former being in contact with the inner sides of the plates 14 and secured thereto by rivets.

I do not desire to be understood as limiting my invention to the form of center-plate described and shown, bntinclude all such modifications thereof as will readily suggest them selves to persons skilled in the art.

W'hat I claim isl. A metallic center-plate, comprising a web-like base having a raised center portion, a depressed intermediate portion, and a raised outer portion, and upstanding Walls rising from said outer portion and forming a boxlike structure, substantially as described.

2. A metallic center-plate, comprising a web-like base, having a raised center portion, adepressed intermediate portion,and a raised outer portion, upstanding side walls rising from said outer portion and laterally'extending flanges below the tops of said walls, sub stantially as described.

3. A metallic centerplate comprising a Web-like base having a raised center portion, a depressed intermediate porlion,and a raised outer portion, upstanding side walls rising from said outer portion and laterallyextendtal rotary bearing-surface, upstanding side walls, and laterally-extending flanges, in combination with center sills engaging the said walls and flanges, substantially as described. In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 0th day of October, 1002.

LOUIS A. SHEPARD. In presence of WILLIAM K. AUonINcLoss, JAMES J. Cosonovn. 

